Fall is the time to start preparing your home for the cold. That means you may take on some major home improvement projects—like adding in insulation or a new wood stove to your home. Or you might add some smaller things to your home, like a new throw blanket or some warm pajamas.
But there are also some things you should be doing each year, no matter how prepared your home feels. This includes scheduling a chimney inspection and cleaning. This can rid your chimney and fireplace of creosote, a substance that is highly flammable and can be quite dangerous.
What It Is
Creosote is a sticky, tarlike residue that builds up in your chimney over time. When you use the fireplace, byproducts like smoke, unburned wood particles, and gases are meant to flow upwards and out of the chimney. However, condensation will occur in your chimney as well, and the moisture often combines with these combustion byproducts to create creosote.
What It Does
As you can probably tell, creosote buildup is not a good thing. The goal is to have all of those byproducts vent to the outdoors, so when they don’t, you’ve got a problem. Creosote is highly flammable. Conditions within the fireplace and chimney could, at some point, allow the creosote to ignite. And, sometimes, this fire can spread the outside of the home—fast.
Our Warning to Homeowners Everywhere
You can slow the production of creosote, and prevent it to an extent, by using your chimney properly. That means ensuring proper airflow to the fireplace and only using seasoned wood to light a fire—wood that has been left to dry for 6 months or more.
But you also must schedule chimney cleaning and inspections each and every year. Call a technician today to schedule your appointment to get that creosote out of your chimney.
Contact 2nd Generation Chimneys, Inc. today for chimney cleaning and inspections in Minneapolis, MN.